Occupational Exposure of Gasoline Station Workers to BTEX Compounds in Bangkok, Thailand

Background: Gasoline station workers are exposed to volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX). Objectives: To determine the level of exposure to BTEX compounds among gasoline station workers and measure the roadside concentrations of these compounds in the...

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Main Authors: T Tunsaringkarn, W Siriwong, A Rungsiyothin, S Nopparatbundit
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Health Organization 2012-06-01
Series:The International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.theijoem.com/ijoem/index.php/ijoem/article/view/133
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spelling doaj-3c553ee2a08748358625c2010fa3f3a62020-11-25T00:20:06ZengNational Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Health OrganizationThe International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine2008-65202008-68142012-06-013311725102Occupational Exposure of Gasoline Station Workers to BTEX Compounds in Bangkok, ThailandT Tunsaringkarn0W Siriwong1A Rungsiyothin2S Nopparatbundit3The College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn UniversityThe College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn UniversityThe College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn UniversityThe College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn UniversityBackground: Gasoline station workers are exposed to volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX). Objectives: To determine the level of exposure to BTEX compounds among gasoline station workers and measure the roadside concentrations of these compounds in the inner and outer areas of Bangkok, Thailand. Methods: 49 workers at 6 gasoline stations in the inner and outer areas of Bangkok participated in this study. Samples of ambient air were collected from the area near gas pumps at each station and at the roadside in front of the gas stations by charcoal tubes. All samples were analyzed for BTEX compounds by gas chromatography-flame ionized detector (GC-FID). Results: The mean BTEX concentration in gas stations was slightly higher than that of the roadside; there was no significant difference in the concentration between inner and outer areas. The mean lifetime cancer risks for workers exposed to benzene and ethylbenzene for 30 years were estimated at 1.75×10–4 and 9.55×10–7. The estimated hazard quotients for BTEX compounds were 0.600, 0.008, 0.007 and 0.002, respectively. The most prevalent symptoms of workers were headache (61%), fatigue (29%) and throat irritation (11%), respectively. Exposure to benzene and toluene was significantly associated with fatigue (p<0.05). Conclusion: Exposure to BTEX compounds would increase the risk of cancer in gasoline station workers. Exposure to benzene and toluene may cause fatigue.http://www.theijoem.com/ijoem/index.php/ijoem/article/view/133BenzeneTolueneEthylbenzeneXyleneGasolineRiskOccupational
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author T Tunsaringkarn
W Siriwong
A Rungsiyothin
S Nopparatbundit
spellingShingle T Tunsaringkarn
W Siriwong
A Rungsiyothin
S Nopparatbundit
Occupational Exposure of Gasoline Station Workers to BTEX Compounds in Bangkok, Thailand
The International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Benzene
Toluene
Ethylbenzene
Xylene
Gasoline
Risk
Occupational
author_facet T Tunsaringkarn
W Siriwong
A Rungsiyothin
S Nopparatbundit
author_sort T Tunsaringkarn
title Occupational Exposure of Gasoline Station Workers to BTEX Compounds in Bangkok, Thailand
title_short Occupational Exposure of Gasoline Station Workers to BTEX Compounds in Bangkok, Thailand
title_full Occupational Exposure of Gasoline Station Workers to BTEX Compounds in Bangkok, Thailand
title_fullStr Occupational Exposure of Gasoline Station Workers to BTEX Compounds in Bangkok, Thailand
title_full_unstemmed Occupational Exposure of Gasoline Station Workers to BTEX Compounds in Bangkok, Thailand
title_sort occupational exposure of gasoline station workers to btex compounds in bangkok, thailand
publisher National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Health Organization
series The International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
issn 2008-6520
2008-6814
publishDate 2012-06-01
description Background: Gasoline station workers are exposed to volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX). Objectives: To determine the level of exposure to BTEX compounds among gasoline station workers and measure the roadside concentrations of these compounds in the inner and outer areas of Bangkok, Thailand. Methods: 49 workers at 6 gasoline stations in the inner and outer areas of Bangkok participated in this study. Samples of ambient air were collected from the area near gas pumps at each station and at the roadside in front of the gas stations by charcoal tubes. All samples were analyzed for BTEX compounds by gas chromatography-flame ionized detector (GC-FID). Results: The mean BTEX concentration in gas stations was slightly higher than that of the roadside; there was no significant difference in the concentration between inner and outer areas. The mean lifetime cancer risks for workers exposed to benzene and ethylbenzene for 30 years were estimated at 1.75×10–4 and 9.55×10–7. The estimated hazard quotients for BTEX compounds were 0.600, 0.008, 0.007 and 0.002, respectively. The most prevalent symptoms of workers were headache (61%), fatigue (29%) and throat irritation (11%), respectively. Exposure to benzene and toluene was significantly associated with fatigue (p<0.05). Conclusion: Exposure to BTEX compounds would increase the risk of cancer in gasoline station workers. Exposure to benzene and toluene may cause fatigue.
topic Benzene
Toluene
Ethylbenzene
Xylene
Gasoline
Risk
Occupational
url http://www.theijoem.com/ijoem/index.php/ijoem/article/view/133
work_keys_str_mv AT ttunsaringkarn occupationalexposureofgasolinestationworkerstobtexcompoundsinbangkokthailand
AT wsiriwong occupationalexposureofgasolinestationworkerstobtexcompoundsinbangkokthailand
AT arungsiyothin occupationalexposureofgasolinestationworkerstobtexcompoundsinbangkokthailand
AT snopparatbundit occupationalexposureofgasolinestationworkerstobtexcompoundsinbangkokthailand
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